Search results for: artificial intelligence in medicine

Authors: Angelis P. Barlampas

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Objective: The confusion of terms is a common practice in many situations of the everyday life. But, in some circumstances, such as in medicine, the precise meaning of a word curries a critical role for the health of the patient. Fahr disease and Fahr syndrome are often falsely used interchangeably, but they are two different conditions with different physical histories of different etiology and different medical management. A case of the seldom Fahr disease is presented, and a comparison with the more common Fahr syndrome follows. Materials and method: A 72 years old patient came to the emergency department, complaining of some kind of non specific medal disturbances, like anxiety, difficulty of concentrating, and tremor. The problems had a long course, but he had the impression of getting worse lately, so he decided to check them. Past history and laboratory tests were unremarkable. Then, a computed tomography examination was ordered. Results: The CT exam showed bilateral, hyperattenuating areas of heavy, dense calcium type deposits in basal ganglia, striatum, pallidum, thalami, the dentate nucleus, and the cerebral white matter of frontal, parietal and iniac lobes, as well as small areas of the pons. Taking into account the absence of any known preexisting illness and the fact that the emergency laboratory tests were without findings, a hypothesis of the rare Fahr disease was supposed. The suspicion was confirmed with further, more specific tests, which showed the lack of any other conditions which could probably share the same radiological image. Differentiating between Fahr disease and Fahr syndrome. Fahr disease: Primarily autosomal dominant Symmetrical and bilateral intracranial calcifications The patient is healthy until the middle age Absence of biochemical abnormalities. Family history consistent with autosomal dominant Fahr syndrome :Earlier between 30 to 40 years old. Symmetrical and bilateral intracranial calcifications Endocrinopathies: Idiopathic hypoparathyroidism, secondary hypoparathyroidism, hyperparathyroidism, pseudohypoparathyroidism ,pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism, e.t.c The disease appears at any age There are abnormal laboratory or imaging findings. Conclusion: Fahr disease and Fahr syndrome are not the same illness, although this is not well known to the inexperienced doctors. As clinical radiologists, we have to inform our colleagues that a radiological image, along with the patient's history, probably implies a rare condition and not something more usual and prompt the investigation to the right route. In our case, a genetic test could be done earlier and reveal the problem, and thus avoiding unnecessary and specific tests which cost in time and are uncomfortable to the patient.

Keywords: fahr disease, fahr syndrome, CT, brain calcifications

Procedia PDF Downloads 46

Authors: Chikang Wang, Jhongjheng Jian, Poming Huang

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Among a wide variety of pharmaceutical compounds, tetracycline antibiotics are one of the largest groups of pharmaceutical compounds extensively used in human and veterinary medicine to treat and prevent bacterial infections. Because it is water soluble, biologically active, stable and bio-refractory, release to the environment threatens aquatic life and increases the risk posed by antibiotic-resistant pathogens. In practice, due to its antibacterial nature, tetracycline cannot be effectively destructed by traditional biological methods. Hence, in this study, two advanced oxidation processes such as ozonation and sono-Fenton processes were conducted individually to degrade the tetracycline for investigating their feasibility on tetracycline degradation. Effect of operational variables on tetracycline degradation, release of nitrogen and change of toxicity were also proposed. Initial tetracycline concentration was 50 mg/L. To evaluate the efficiency of tetracycline degradation by ozonation, the ozone gas was produced by an ozone generator (Model LAB2B, Ozonia) and introduced into the reactor with different flows (25 - 500 mL/min) at varying pH levels (pH 3 - pH 11) and reaction temperatures (15 - 55°C). In sono-Fenton system, an ultrasonic transducer (Microson VCX 750, USA) operated at 20 kHz combined with H₂O₂ (2 mM) and Fe²⁺ (0.2 mM) were carried out at different pH levels (pH 3 - pH 11), aeration gas and flows (air and oxygen; 0.2 - 1.0 L/min), tetracycline concentrations (10 - 200 mg/L), reaction temperatures (15 - 55°C) and ultrasonic powers (25 - 200 Watts), respectively. Sole ultrasound was ineffective on tetracycline degradation, where the degradation efficiencies were lower than 10% with 60 min reaction. Contribution of Fe²⁺ and H₂O₂ on the degradation of tetracycline was significant, where the maximum tetracycline degradation efficiency in sono-Fenton process was as high as 91.3% followed by 45.8% mineralization. Effect of initial pH level on tetracycline degradation was insignificant from pH 3 to pH 6 but significantly decreased as the pH was greater than pH 7. Increase of the ultrasonic power was slightly increased the degradation efficiency of tetracycline, which indicated that the hydroxyl radicals dominated the oxidation of tetracycline. Effects of aeration of air or oxygen with different flows and reaction temperatures were insignificant. Ozonation showed better efficiencies in tetracycline degradation, where the optimum reaction condition was found at pH 3, 100 mL O₃/min and 25°C with 94% degradation and 60% mineralization. The toxicity of tetracycline was significantly decreased due to the mineralization of tetracycline. In addition, less than 10% of nitrogen content was released to solution phase as NH₃-N, and the most degraded tetracycline cannot be full mineralized to CO₂. The results shown in this study indicated that both the sono-Fenton process and ozonation can effectively degrade the tetracycline and reduce its toxicity at profitable condition. The costs of two systems needed to be further investigated to understand the feasibility in tetracycline degradation.

Keywords: degradation, detoxification, mineralization, ozonation, sono-Fenton process, tetracycline

Procedia PDF Downloads 248

Authors: Moser Stephan, Lukasser Gerald, Weitlaner Robert

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Urban structures will be used more intensively in the future through redensification or new planned districts with high building densities. Especially, to achieve positive energy balances like requested for Positive Energy Districts (PED) the single use of roofs is not sufficient for dense urban areas. However, the increasing share of window significantly reduces the facade area available for use in PV generation. Through the use of PV technology at other building components, such as external venetian blinds, onsite generation can be maximized and standard functionalities of this product can be positively extended. While offering advantages in terms of infrastructure, sustainability in the use of resources and efficiency, these systems require an increased optimization in planning and control strategies of buildings. External venetian blinds with PV technology require an intelligent control concept to meet the required demands such as maximum power generation, glare prevention, high daylight autonomy, avoidance of summer overheating but also use of passive solar gains in wintertime. Today, geometric representation of outdoor spaces and at the building level, three-dimensional geometric information is available for planning with Building Information Modeling (BIM). In a research project, a web application which is called HELLA DECART was developed to provide this data structure to extract the data required for the simulation from the BIM models and to make it usable for the calculations and coupled simulations. The investigated object is uploaded as an IFC file to this web application and includes the object as well as the neighboring buildings and possible remote shading. This tool uses a ray tracing method to determine possible glare from solar reflections of a neighboring building as well as near and far shadows per window on the object. Subsequently, an annual estimate of the sunlight per window is calculated by taking weather data into account. This optimized daylight assessment per window provides the ability to calculate an estimation of the potential power generation at the integrated PV on the venetian blind but also for the daylight and solar entry. As a next step, these results of the calculations as well as all necessary parameters for the thermal simulation can be provided. The overall aim of this workflow is to advance the coordination between the BIM model and coupled building simulation with the resulting shading and daylighting system with the artificial lighting system and maximum power generation in a control system. In the research project Powershade, an AI based control concept for PV integrated façade elements with coupled simulation results is investigated. The developed automated workflow concept in this paper is tested by using an office living lab at the HELLA company.

Keywords: BIPV, building simulation, optimized control strategy, planning tool

Procedia PDF Downloads 91

Authors: Ankush Raina, Ankush Anand

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Plyometric training is a form of specialised strength training that uses fast muscular contractions to improve power and speed in sports conditioning by coaches and athletes. Despite its useful role in sports conditioning programme, the information about plyometric training on the athletes cardiovascular health especially Electrocardiogram (ECG) has not been established in the literature. The purpose of the study was to determine the effects of lower and upper body plyometric training on ECG of athletes. The study was guided by three null hypotheses. Quasi–experimental research design was adopted for the study. Seventy-two university male athletes constituted the population of the study. Thirty male athletes aged 18 to 24 years volunteered to participate in the study, but only twenty-three completed the study. The volunteered athletes were apparently healthy, physically active and free of any lower and upper extremity bone injuries for past one year and they had no medical or orthopedic injuries that may affect their participation in the study. Ten subjects were purposively assigned to one of the three groups: lower body plyometric training (LBPT), upper body plyometric training (UBPT), and control (C). Training consisted of six plyometric exercises: lower (ankle hops, squat jumps, tuck jumps) and upper body plyometric training (push-ups, medicine ball-chest throws and side throws) with moderate intensity. The general data were collated and analysed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS version 22.0). The research questions were answered using mean and standard deviation, while paired samples t-test was also used to test for the hypotheses. The results revealed that athletes who were trained using LBPT had reduced ECG parameters better than those in the control group. The results also revealed that athletes who were trained using both LBPT and UBPT indicated lack of significant differences following ten weeks plyometric training than those in the control group in the ECG parameters except in Q wave, R wave and S wave (QRS) complex. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended among others that coaches should include both LBPT and UBPT as part of athletes’ overall training programme from primary to tertiary institution to optimise performance as well as reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases and promotes good healthy lifestyle.

Keywords: boundary lubrication, copper oxide, friction, nano diamond

Procedia PDF Downloads 106

Authors: Pin Yu Chen, Puay Chuan Lee, Yu Jen Loo, Ju Xia Zhang, Deborah Teo, Jack Wei Chieh Tan, Biauw Chi Ong

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Background: Synchronous communication, such as telephone calls, remains the standard communication method between nurses and other healthcare professionals in Singapore public hospitals despite advances in asynchronous technological platforms, such as instant messaging. Although miscommunication is one of the most common causes of lapses in patient care, there is a scarcity of research characterizing baseline inter-professional healthcare communications in a hospital setting due to logistic difficulties. Objective: This study aims to characterize the frequency and patterns of communication behaviours among healthcare professionals. Methods: The one-week observational study was conducted on Monday through Sunday at the nursing station of a cardiovascular medicine and cardiothoracic surgery inpatient ward at the National Heart Centre Singapore. Subjects were shadowed by two physicians for sixteen hours or consecutive morning and afternoon nursing shifts. Communications were logged and characterized by type, duration, caller, and recipient. Results: A total of 1,023 communication events involving the attempted use of the common telephones at the nursing station were logged over a period of one week, corresponding to a frequency of one event every 5.45 minutes (SD 6.98, range 0-56 minutes). Nurses initiated the highest proportion of outbound calls (38.7%) via the nursing station common phone. A total of 179 face-to-face communications (17.5%), 362 inbound calls (35.39%), 481 outbound calls (47.02%), and 1 emergency alert (0.10%) were captured. Average response time for task-oriented communications was 159 minutes (SD 387.6, range 86-231). Approximately 1 in 3 communications captured aimed to clarify patient-related information. The total duration of time spent on synchronous communication events over one week, calculated from total inbound and outbound calls, was estimated to be a total of 7 hours. Conclusion: The results of our study showed that there is a significant amount of time spent on inter-professional healthcare communications via synchronous channels. Integration of patient-related information and use of asynchronous communication channels may help to reduce the redundancy of communications and clarifications. Future studies should explore the use of asynchronous mobile platforms to address the inefficiencies observed in healthcare communications.

Keywords: healthcare communication, healthcare management, nursing, qualitative observational study

Procedia PDF Downloads 197

Authors: Azieva A. M., Yastremsky E. V., Kirillova D. A., Patsaev T. D., Sharikov R. V., Kamyshinsky R. A., Lukanina K. I., Sharikova N. A., Grigoriev T. E., Vasiliev A. L.

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Adhesive properties of scaffolds, which predominantly depend on the chemical and structural features of their surface, play the most important role in tissue engineering. The basic requirements for such scaffolds are biocompatibility, biodegradation, high cell adhesion, which promotes cell proliferation and differentiation. In many cases, synthetic polymers scaffolds have proven advantageous because they are easy to shape, they are tough, and they have high tensile properties. The regeneration of nerve tissue still remains a big challenge for medicine, and neural stem cells provide promising therapeutic potential for cell replacement therapy. However, experiments with stem cells have their limitations, such as low level of cell viability and poor control of cell differentiation. Whereas the study of already differentiated neuronal cell culture obtained from newborn mouse brain is limited only to cell adhesion. The growth and implantation of neuronal culture requires proper scaffolds. Moreover, the polymer scaffolds implants with neuronal cells could demand specific morphology. To date, it has been proposed to use numerous synthetic polymers for these purposes, including polystyrene, polylactic acid (PLA), polyglycolic acid, and polylactide-glycolic acid. Tissue regeneration experiments demonstrated good biocompatibility of PLA scaffolds, despite the hydrophobic nature of the compound. Problem with poor wettability of the PLA scaffold surface could be overcome in several ways: the surface can be pre-treated by poly-D-lysine or polyethyleneimine peptides; roughness and hydrophilicity of PLA surface could be increased by plasma treatment, or PLA could be combined with natural fibers, such as collagen or chitosan. This work presents a study of adhesion of both induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and mouse primary neuronal cell culture on the polylactide scaffolds of various types: oriented and non-oriented fibrous nonwoven materials and sponges – with and without the effect of plasma treatment and composites with collagen and chitosan. To evaluate the effect of different types of PLA scaffolds on the neuronal differentiation of iPSCs, we assess the expression of NeuN in differentiated cells through immunostaining. iPSCs more effectively differentiate into neurons on PLA scaffolds with high adhesive properties for primary neuronal cells.

Keywords: PLA scaffold, neurons, neuronal differentiation, stem cells, polylactid

Procedia PDF Downloads 61

Authors: Bunindro Nameirakpam, Sonia Sougrapakam, Shannon B. Olsson, Rajashekar Yallappa

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Natural sources for new pesticidal compounds hold promise in view of their eco-friendly nature, selectivity and mammalian safety. Despite a large number of plants that show insecticidal activity and diversity of natural chemistry with inherent eco-friendly nature, newer classes of insecticides have eluded discovery. Artemisia vulgaris, known as Mugwort, is a universal herb used for folk medicine and religious purposes throughout the ancient world. In India, the essential oils of Artemisia vulgaris are used for its insecticidal, anti parasiticidal and antimicrobial properties. Traditionally, the dried leaves of Artemisia vulgaris are used to repel insects as well as rats in and around the granaries in the North-East India. Artemisia vulgaris collected during November from different ecological sites were studied for the bio-pesticidal utility against the stored grain pests. The insecticidal activities were found in the crude extracts of n-hexane and methanol from the samples collected in Sikkim and Manipur respectively. Using silica gel column chromatography protocol, we have isolated one novel bioactive molecule from the aerial parts of Artemisia vulgaris L based on various physical-chemical and spectroscopic techniques (IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and mass). The novel bioactive molecule is highly toxic and very low concentration (4.35 µg/l) is needed to control the stored product insects. In additional experiment results clearly showed the involvement of sodium pumps inhibition in the insecticidal action of purified compound in the Sitophilus oryzae. The knockdown activity of the purified compound is concomitant with the in vivo inhibition of Na+/ K+- ATPase. Further, our study showed insignificant differences in the seed germination of control and the treated grains. The lack of adverse effect of the novel bioactive molecule on the seed germination is highly desirable for seed/grain protectant and showing the potential to be developed as possible natural fumigants for the control of stored grain pests. The novel bioactive molecule is selective insecticide with a high margin of safety to mammals and showed promise as novel biopesticide candidate for grain protection. It is believed that Bio-pesticides can serve as the most important pest management tools as far as global safety is concerned.

Keywords: Indian traditional plant, Artemisia vulgaris, bio-pesticides, Na+/ K+- ATPase, seed germination

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Authors: Mustafa Metin Donma

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Circumference measurements are important because they are easily obtained values for the identification of the weight gain without determining body fat. They may give meaningful information about the varying stages of obesity. Besides, some formulas may be derived from a number of body circumference measurements to estimate body fat. Waist (WC), hip (HC) and neck (NC) circumferences are currently the most frequently used measurements. The aim of this study was to develop a formula derived from these three anthropometric measurements, each giving a valuable information independently, to question whether their combined power within a formula was capable of being helpful for the differential diagnosis of morbid obesity without metabolic syndrome (MetS) from MetS. One hundred and eighty seven children were recruited from the pediatrics outpatient clinic of Tekirdag Namik Kemal University Faculty of Medicine. The parents of the participants were informed about asked to fill and sign the consent forms. The study was carried out according to the Helsinki Declaration. The study protocol was approved by the institutional non-interventional ethics committee. The study population was divided into four groups as normal-body mass index (N-BMI), obese (OB), morbid obese (MO) and MetS, which were composed of 35, 44, 75 and 33 children, respectively. Age- and gender-adjusted BMI percentile values were used for the classification of groups. The children in MetS group were selected based upon the nature of the MetS components described as MetS criteria. Anthropometric measurements, laboratory analysis and statistical evaluation confined to study population were performed. Body mass index values were calculated. A circumference index, advanced Donma circumference index (ADCI) was introduced as WC*HC/NC. The statistical significance degree was chosen as p value smaller than 0.05. Body mass index values were 17.7±2.8, 24.5±3.3, 28.8±5.7, 31.4±8.0 kg/m2, for N-BMI, OB, MO, MetS groups, respectively. The corresponding values for ADCI were 165±35, 240±42, 270±55, and 298±62. Significant differences were obtained between BMI values of N-BMI and OB, MO, MetS groups (p=0.001). Obese group BMI values also differed from MO group BMI values (p=0.001). However, the increase in MetS group compared to MO group was not significant (p=0.091). For the new index, significant differences were obtained between N-BMI and OB, MO, MetS groups (p=0.001). Obese group ADCI values also differed from MO group ADCI values (p=0.015). A significant difference between MO and MetS groups was detected (p=0.043). The correlation coefficient value and the significance check of the correlation was found between BMI and ADCI as r=0.0883 and p=0.001 upon consideration of all participants. In conclusion, in spite of the strong correlation between BMI and ADCI values obtained when all groups were considered, ADCI, but not BMI, was the index, which was capable of differentiating cases with morbid obesity from cases with morbid obesity and MetS.

Keywords: anthropometry, body mass index, child, circumference, metabolic syndrome, obesity

Procedia PDF Downloads 52

Authors: Ertuğrul Yılmaz

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One of the most important occupational groups in the food chain from farm to fork is a veterinary medicine. This occupational group, which has important duties in the prevention of many zoonotic diseases and in public health, takes place in many critical control points from soil to our kitchen. It has important duties from mycotoxins transmitted from the soil to slaughterhouses or milk processing facilities. Starting from the soil, which constitutes 70% of mycotoxin contamination, up to the TMR made from raw materials obtained from the soil, there are all critical control points from feeding to slaughterhouses and milk production enterprises. We can take the precaution of mycotoxins such as Aflatoxin B1, Ochratoxin, Zearalenone, and Fumonisin, which we encounter on farms while in the field. It has been reported that aflatoxin B1 is a casenerogen and passes into milk in studies. It is likely that many mycotoxins pose significant threats to public health and will turn out to be even more dangerous over time. Even raw material storage and TMR preparation are very important for public health. The danger of fumonisin accumulating in the liver will be understood over time. Zoonotic diseases are also explained with examples. In this study, how important veterinarians are in terms of public health is explained with examples. In the two-year mycotoxin screenings, fumonisin mycotoxin was found to be very high in corn and corn by-products, and it was determined that it accumulated in the liver for a long time and remained cornic in animals. It has been determined that mycotoxins are present in all livestock feeds, poultry feeds, and raw materials, not alone, but in double-triple form. Starting from the end, mycotoxin scans should be carried out from feed to raw materials and from raw materials to soil. In this way, we prevent the transmission of mycotoxins to animals and from animals to humans. Liver protectors such as toxin binders, beta-glucan, mannan oligosaccharides, activated carbon, prebiotics, and silymarin were used in certain proportions in the total mixed ratio, and positive results were obtained. Humidity and temperature controls of raw material silos were made at certain intervals. Necropsy was performed on animals that died as a result of mycotoxicosis, and macroscopic photographs were taken of the organs. We have determined that the mycotoxin screening in experimental animals and the feeds made without detecting the presence and amount of bacterial factors affect the results of the project to be made. For this, a series of precautionary plans have been created, starting from the production processes.

Keywords: mycotoxins, feed safety, processes, public health

Procedia PDF Downloads 63

Authors: Christine F. Boos, Fernando M. Azevedo

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Electroencephalogram (EEG) is a record of the electrical activity of the brain that has many applications, such as monitoring alertness, coma and brain death; locating damaged areas of the brain after head injury, stroke and tumor; monitoring anesthesia depth; researching physiology and sleep disorders; researching epilepsy and localizing the seizure focus. Epilepsy is a chronic condition, or a group of diseases of high prevalence, still poorly explained by science and whose diagnosis is still predominantly clinical. The EEG recording is considered an important test for epilepsy investigation and its visual analysis is very often applied for clinical confirmation of epilepsy diagnosis. Moreover, this EEG analysis can also be used to help define the types of epileptic syndrome, determine epileptiform zone, assist in the planning of drug treatment and provide additional information about the feasibility of surgical intervention. In the context of diagnosis confirmation the analysis is made using long term EEG recordings with at least 24 hours long and acquired by a minimum of 24 electrodes in which the neurophysiologists perform a thorough visual evaluation of EEG screens in search of specific electrographic patterns called epileptiform discharges. Considering that the EEG screens usually display 10 seconds of the recording, the neurophysiologist has to evaluate 360 screens per hour of EEG or a minimum of 8,640 screens per long term EEG recording. Analyzing thousands of EEG screens in search patterns that have a maximum duration of 200 ms is a very time consuming, complex and exhaustive task. Because of this, over the years several studies have proposed automated methodologies that could facilitate the neurophysiologists’ task of identifying epileptiform discharges and a large number of methodologies used neural networks for the pattern classification. One of the differences between all of these methodologies is the type of input stimuli presented to the networks, i.e., how the EEG signal is introduced in the network. Five types of input stimuli have been commonly found in literature: raw EEG signal, morphological descriptors (i.e. parameters related to the signal’s morphology), Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) spectrum, Short-Time Fourier Transform (STFT) spectrograms and Wavelet Transform features. This study evaluates the application of these five types of input stimuli and compares the classification results of neural networks that were implemented using each of these inputs. The performance of using raw signal varied between 43 and 84% efficiency. The results of FFT spectrum and STFT spectrograms were quite similar with average efficiency being 73 and 77%, respectively. The efficiency of Wavelet Transform features varied between 57 and 81% while the descriptors presented efficiency values between 62 and 93%. After simulations we could observe that the best results were achieved when either morphological descriptors or Wavelet features were used as input stimuli.

Keywords: Artificial neural network, electroencephalogram signal, pattern recognition, signal processing

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Authors: Ogunlesi Olufunso, John Ogunsola, Omolade Oladele, Benjamin Emikpe

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Context: Coccidiosis is a parasitic disease that affects poultry production, leading to economic losses. Garlic is known for medicinal properties and has been used as a natural remedy for various diseases. This study aims to investigate the prophylactic effect of garlic inclusion in the feed of commercial broilers with coccidiosis. Research Aim: The aim of this study is to determine the possible effect of garlic meal inclusion in poultry feed on the body weight gain of commercial broilers and to investigate it's therapeutic effect on broilers with coccidiosis. Methodology: The study conducted a case-control study for eight weeks with One hundred Arbor acre commercial broilers separated into five (5) groups from day-old, where 6,000 Eimeria oocysts were orally inoculated into each broiler in the different groups. Feed intake, body weight gain, feed conversion ratio, oocyt shedding rate, histopathology and erythrocyte indices were assessed. Findings: The inclusion of garlic meal in the broilers' diet resulted in an improved feed conversion ratio, decreased oocyst counts, reduced diarrhoeic fecal spots, decreased susceptibility to coccidial infection, and increased packed cell volume (PCV). Theoretical Importance: This study contributes to the understanding of the prophylactic effect of garlic supplementation, including its antiparasitic properties on commercial broilers with coccidiosis. It highlights the potential use of non-conventional feed additives or ayurvedic herb and spices in the treatment of poultry diseases. Data Collection and Analysis Procedures: The study collected data on feed intake, body weight gain, oocyst shedding rate, histopathological observations, and erythrocyte indices. Data were analyzed using Analysis of Variance and Duncan's Multiple range Test. Questions Addressed: The study addressed the possible effect of garlic meal inclusion in poultry feed on the body weight gain of broilers and its therapeutic effect on broilers with coccidiosis. Conclusion: The study concludes that garlic inclusion in the feed of broilers has a prophylactic effect, including antiparasitic properties, resulting in improved feed conversion ratio, reduced oocyst counts and increased PCV.

Keywords: broilers, eimeria spp, garlic, Ibadan

Procedia PDF Downloads 66

Authors: A. T. Al-Isawi, P. E. F. Collins

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The behaviour of structures exposed to fire after an earthquake is not a new area of engineering research, but there remain a number of areas where further work is required. Such areas relate to the way in which seismic excitation is applied to a structure, taking into account the effect of soil-structure interaction (SSI) and the method of analysis, in addition to identifying the excitation load properties. The selection of earthquake data input for use in nonlinear analysis and the method of analysis are still challenging issues. Thus, realistic artificial ground motion input data must be developed to certify that site properties parameters adequately describe the effects of the nonlinear inelastic behaviour of the system and that the characteristics of these parameters are coherent with the characteristics of the target parameters. Conversely, ignoring the significance of some attributes, such as frequency content, soil site properties and earthquake parameters may lead to misleading results, due to the misinterpretation of required input data and the incorrect synthesise of analysis hypothesis. This paper presents a study of the post-earthquake fire (PEF) performance of a multi-storey steel-framed building resting on soft clay, taking into account the effects of the nonlinear inelastic behaviour of the structure and soil, and the soil-structure interaction (SSI). Structures subjected to an earthquake may experience various levels of damage; the geometrical damage, which indicates the change in the initial structure’s geometry due to the residual deformation as a result of plastic behaviour, and the mechanical damage which identifies the degradation of the mechanical properties of the structural elements involved in the plastic range of deformation. Consequently, the structure presumably experiences partial structural damage but is then exposed to fire under its new residual material properties, which may result in building failure caused by a decrease in fire resistance. This scenario would be more complicated if SSI was also considered. Indeed, most earthquake design codes ignore the probability of PEF as well as the effect that SSI has on the behaviour of structures, in order to simplify the analysis procedure. Therefore, the design of structures based on existing codes which neglect the importance of PEF and SSI can create a significant risk of structural failure. In order to examine the criteria for the behaviour of a structure under PEF conditions, a two-dimensional nonlinear elasto-plastic model is developed using ABAQUS software; the effects of SSI are included. Both geometrical and mechanical damages have been taken into account after the earthquake analysis step. For comparison, an identical model is also created, which does not include the effects of soil-structure interaction. It is shown that damage to structural elements is underestimated if SSI is not included in the analysis, and the maximum percentage reduction in fire resistance is detected in the case when SSI is included in the scenario. The results are validated using the literature.

Keywords: Abaqus Software, Finite Element Analysis, post-earthquake fire, seismic analysis, soil-structure interaction

Procedia PDF Downloads 109

Authors: J. H. Bang, H. J. Baek, K. I. Kim, B. J. Lee, H. J. Jung, H. J. Jang, S. K. Jung

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Asthma is a chronic inflammatory lung disease characterized by airway hyper responsiveness (AHR), airway obstruction and airway wall remodeling responsible for significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Genetic and environment factors may result in asthma, but there are no the exact causes of asthma. Chungpye-tang (CPT) has been prescribed as a representative aerosol agent for patients with dyspnea, cough and phlegm in the respiratory clinic at Kyung Hee Korean Medicine Hospital. This Korean herbal medicines have the effect of dispelling external pathogen and dampness pattern. CPT is composed of 4 species of herbal medicines. The 4 species of herbal medicines are Ephedrae herba, Pogostemonis(Agatachis) herba, Caryophylli flos and Zingiberis rhizoma crudus. CPT suppresses neutrophil infiltration and the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury (ALI) mouse model. Moreover, the anti-inflammatory effects of CPT on a mouse model of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) was proved. Activation of the NF-κB has been proven that it plays an important role in inflammation via inducing transcription of pro-inflammatory genes. Over-expression of NF-κB has been believed be related to many inflammatory diseases such as arthritis, gastritis, asthma and COPD. So we firstly hypothesize whether CPT has an anti-inflammatory effect on asthmatic human airway epithelial tissue via inhibiting NF-κB pathway. In this study, CPT was extracted with distilled water for 3 hours at 100°C. After process of filtration and evaporation, it was freeze dried. And asthmatic human lung tissues were provided by MatTek Corp. We investigated the precise mechanism of the anti-inflammatory effect of CPT by western blotting analysis. We observed whether the decoction extracts could reduce NF-κB activation, COX-2 protein expression and NF-κB-mediated pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α, eotaxin, IL-4, IL-9 and IL-13 in asthmatic human lung tissue. As results of this study, there was a trend toward decreased NF-κB expression in asthmatic human airway epithelial tissue. We found that the inhibition effects of CPT on COX-2 expression was not determined. IL-9 and IL-13 secretion was significantly reduced in the asthmatic human lung tissue treated with CPT. Overall, our results indicate that CPT has an anti-inflammatory effect through blocking the signaling pathway of NF-κB, thereby CPT may be a potential remedial agent for allergic asthma.

Keywords: Chungpye-tang, allergic asthma, asthmatic human airway epithelial tissue, nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) pathway, COX-2

Procedia PDF Downloads 316

Authors: Tomasz Łęga, Marta Sosnowska, Mirosława Panasiuk, Lilit Hovhannisyan, Beata Gromadzka, Marcin Olszewski, Sabina Zoledowska, Dawid Nidzworski

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Toxic heavy metal ion contamination of industrial wastewater has recently become a significant environmental concern in many regions of the world. Although the majority of heavy metals are naturally occurring elements found on the earth's surface, anthropogenic activities such as mining and smelting, industrial production, and agricultural use of metals and metal-containing compounds are responsible for the majority of environmental contamination and human exposure. The permissible limits (ppm) for heavy metals in food, water and soil are frequently exceeded and considered hazardous to humans, other organisms, and the environment as a whole. Human exposure to highly nickel-polluted environments causes a variety of pathologic effects. In 2008, nickel received the shameful name of “Allergen of the Year” (GILLETTE 2008). According to the dermatologist, the frequency of nickel allergy is still growing, and it can’t be explained only by fashionable piercing and nickel devices used in medicine (like coronary stents and endoprostheses). Effective remediation methods for removing heavy metal ions from soil and water are becoming increasingly important. Among others, methods such as chemical precipitation, micro- and nanofiltration, membrane separation, conventional coagulation, electrodialysis, ion exchange, reverse and forward osmosis, photocatalysis and polymer or carbon nanocomposite absorbents have all been investigated so far. The importance of environmentally sustainable industrial production processes and the conservation of dwindling natural resources has highlighted the need for affordable, innovative biosorptive materials capable of recovering specific chemical elements from dilute aqueous solutions. The use of combinatorial phage display techniques for selecting and recognizing material-binding peptides with a selective affinity for any target, particularly inorganic materials, has gained considerable interest in the development of advanced bio- or nano-materials. However, due to the limitations of phage display libraries and the biopanning process, the accuracy of molecular recognition for inorganic materials remains a challenge. This study presents the isolation, identification and characterisation of metal binding phage clones that preferentially recover nickel.

Keywords: Heavy metal recovery, cleaning water, phage display, nickel

Procedia PDF Downloads 77

Authors: Natalia Uribe Corrales, María Fernanda Benavides Erazo, Santiago Henao Villegas

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Introduction: Transport is a crucial link in the porcine chain because it is considered a stressful event in the animal, due to it is a new environment, which generates new interactions, together with factors such as speed, noise, temperature changes, vibrations, deprivation of food and water. Therefore, inadequate handling at this stage can lead to bruises, musculoskeletal injuries, fatigue, and mortality, resulting in canal seizures and economic losses. Objective: To characterize the transport and driving practices for the mobilization of standing pigs directed to slaughter plants in the Valle de Aburrá, Antioquia, Colombia in 2017. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out with the transporters arriving at the slaughterhouses approved by National Institute for Food and Medicine Surveillance (INVIMA) during 2017 in the Valle de Aburrá. The process of obtaining the samples was made from probabilistic sampling. Variables such as journey time, mechanical technical certificate, training in animal welfare, driving speed, material, and condition of floors and separators, supervision of animals during the trip, load density and mortality were analyzed. It was approved by the ethics committee for the use and care of animals CICUA of CES University, Act number 14 of 2015. Results: 190 trucks were analyzed, finding that 12.4% did not have updated mechanical technical certificate; the transporters experience in pig’s transportation was an average of 9.4 years (d.e.7.5). The 85.8% reported not having received training in animal welfare. Other results were that the average speed was 63.04km/hr (d.e 13.46) and the 62% had floors in good condition; nevertheless, the 48% had bad conditions on separators. On the other hand, the 88% did not supervise their animals during the journey, although the 62.2% had an adequate loading density, in relation to the average mortality was 0.2 deaths/travel (d.e. 0.5). Conclusions: Trainers should be encouraged on issues such as proper maintenance of vehicles, animal welfare, obligatory review of animals during mobilization and speed of driving, as these poorly managed indicators generate stress in animals, increasing generation of injuries as well as possible accidents; also, it is necessary to continue to improve aspects such as aluminum floors and separators that favor easy cleaning and maintenance, as well as the appropriate handling in the density of load that generates animal welfare.

Keywords: animal welfare, driving practices, pigs, truck infrastructure

Procedia PDF Downloads 190

Authors: Takuya Suzuki, Atsushi Shirai, Takashi Seki

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Acupuncture therapy is one of the treatments in traditional Chinese medicine. Recently, some reports have shown the effectiveness of acupuncture. However, its full acceptance has been hindered by the lack of understanding on mechanism of the therapy. Acupuncture applied to Zusanli (ST-36) enhances blood flow volume in superior mesenteric artery (SMA), yielding peripheral vascular resistance – regulated blood flow of SMA dominated by the parasympathetic system and inhibition of sympathetic system. In this study, a lumped-parameter approximation model of blood flow in the systemic arteries was developed. This model was extremely simple, consisting of the aorta, carotid arteries, arteries of the four limbs and SMA, and their peripheral vascular resistances. Here, the individual artery was simplified to a tapered tube and the resistances were modelled by a linear resistance. We numerically investigated contribution of the peripheral vascular resistance of SMA to the systemic blood distribution using this model. In addition to the upstream end of the model, which correlates with the left ventricle, two types of boundary condition were applied; mean left ventricular pressure which correlates with blood pressure (BP) and mean cardiac output which corresponds to cardiac index (CI). We examined it to reproduce the experimentally obtained hemodynamic change, in terms of the ratio of the aforementioned hemodynamic parameters from their initial values before the acupuncture, by regulating the peripheral vascular resistances and the upstream boundary condition. First, only the peripheral vascular resistance of SMA was changed to show contribution of the resistance to the change in blood flow volume in SMA, expecting reproduction of the experimentally obtained change. It was found, however, this was not enough to reproduce the experimental result. Then, we also changed the resistances of the other arteries together with the value given at upstream boundary. Here, the resistances of the other arteries were changed simultaneously in the same amount. Consequently, we successfully reproduced the hemodynamic change to find that regulation of the upstream boundary condition to the value experimentally obtained after the stimulation is necessary for the reproduction, though statistically significant changes in BP and CI were not observed in the experiment. It is generally known that sympathetic and parasympathetic tones take part in regulation of whole the systemic circulation including the cardiac function. The present result indicates that stimulation to ST-36 could induce vasodilation of peripheral circulation of SMA and vasoconstriction of that of other arteries. In addition, it implies that experimentally obtained small changes in BP and CI induced by the acupuncture may be involved in the therapeutic response.

Keywords: acupuncture, hemodynamics, lumped-parameter approximation, modeling, systemic vascular resistance

Procedia PDF Downloads 211

Authors: Alexander A. Osmolovskiy, Anastasia V. Orekhova, Daria M. Bednenko, Yelyzaveta Boiko

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Micromycetes from Aspergillus genus can produce proteases capable of promoting proteolysis of hemostasis proteins or, along with hydrolytic activity, to show the ability to convert proenzymes of this system activating them into an active form. At the same time, practical medicine needs specific activators for quantitation of the level of some plasma enzymes, especially protein C and factor X, the lack of which leads to the development of thromboembolic diseases. Thus, some micromycetes of the genus Aspergillus were screened for the ability to synthesize extracellular proteases with promising activity for designing anti-thrombotic and diagnostic preparations. Such standard methods like salting out, electrophoresis, isoelectrofocusing were used for isolation, purification and study of physicochemical properties of proteases. Enzyme activity was measured spectrophotometrically fibrin as a substrate of the reaction and chromogenic peptide substrates of different proteases of the human hemostasis system. As a result of the screening, four active producers were selected: Aspergillus janus 301, A. flavus 1, A. terreus 2, and A. ochraceus L-1. The enzyme of A. janus 301 showed the greatest fibrinolytic activity (around 329.2 μmol Tyr/(ml × min)). The protease produced by A. terreus 2 had the highest plasmin-like activity (54.1 nmol pNA/(ml × min)), but fibrinolytic activity was lower than A. janus 301 demonstrated (25.2 μmol Tyr/(ml × min)). For extracellular protease of micromycete A. flavus a high plasmin-like activity was also shown (39.8 nmol pNA / (ml × min)). Moreover, according to our results proteases one of the fungi - A. terreus 2 were able to activate protein C of human plasma - the key factor of the human anticoagulant hemostasis system. This type of activity was 39.8 nmol pNA/(ml × min)). It was also shown that A. ochraceus L-1 could produce extracellular proteases with protein C and factor X activator activities (65.9 nmol pNA/(ml × min) and 34.6 nmol pNA/(ml × min) respectively). The maximum accumulation of the proteases falls on the 4th day of cultivation. Using isoelectrofocusing was demonstrated that the activation of both proenzymes might proceed via limited proteolysis induced by proteases of A. ochraceus L-1. The activatory activity of A. ochraceus L-1 proteases toward essential hemostatic proenzymes, protein C and X factor may be useful for practical needs. It is well known that similar enzymes, activators of protein C and X factor isolated from snake venom, South American copperhead Agkistrodon contortrix contortrix and Russell’s viper Daboia russelli russeli, respectively, are used for the in vitro diagnostics of the functional state of these proteins in blood plasma. Thus, the proteases of Aspergillus genus can be used as cheap components for enzyme thrombolytic preparations.

Keywords: anti-trombotic drugs, fibrinolysis, diagnostics, proteases, micromycetes

Procedia PDF Downloads 119

Authors: Mustafa Metin Donma

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Metabolic syndrome (MetS) components are noteworthy among children with obesity and morbid obesity because they point out the cases with MetS, which have the great tendency to severe health problems such as cardiovascular diseases both in childhood and adulthood. In clinical practice, considerable efforts are being observed to bring into the open the striking differences between morbid obese cases and those with MetS findings. The most privileged aspect is concerning cardiometabolic features. The aim of this study was to derive an index which behaves different in children with and without MetS from the cardiac point of view. For the purpose, aspartate transaminase (AST), a cardiac enzyme still being used independently to predict cardiac-related problems, was used. One hundred and twenty four children were recruited from the outpatient clinic of Department of Pediatrics in Tekirdag Namik Kemal University, Faculty of Medicine. Forty-three children with normal body mass index, forty-one and forty morbid obese (MO) children with MetS and without the characteristic features of MetS, respectively, were included in the study. Weight, height, waist circumference (WC), hip C (HC), head C (HdC), neck C (NC), systolic and diastolic blood pressure values were measured and recorded. Body mass index and anthropometric ratios were calculated. Fasting blood glucose (FBG), insulin (INS), triglycerides (TRG), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) analyses were performed. The values for AST, alanin transaminase (ALT) and AST/ALT were obtained. Advanced Donma cardiac index (ADCI) values were calculated. The formula for the index was [(TRG/HDL-C) * (INS/FBG)] * [(WC+HC)/Height] * [(HdC+NC)/Height]. Statistical evaluations including correlation analysis were done by a statistical package program. The statistical significance degree was accepted as p<0.05. The index, ADCI, was developed from both anthropometric and biochemical parameters. All anthropometric measurements except weight were included in the equation. Besides all biochemical parameters concerning MetS components were also added. This index was tested in each of three groups. Its performance was compared with the performance of cardiometabolic index (CMI). It was also checked whether it was compatible with AST activity. The performance of ADCI was better than that of CMI. Instead of double increase, the increase of three times was observed in children with MetS compared to MO children. The index was correlated with AST in MO group and with AST/ALT in MetS group. In conclusion, this index was superior in discovering cardiac problems in MO and in diagnosing MetS in MetS groups. It was also arbiter to point out cardiovascular and MetS aspects among the groups.

Keywords: aspartate transaminase, cardiac, children, index, obesity

Procedia PDF Downloads 48

Authors: Mohammad Karimi Moridani, Mohammad Abdi Zadeh, Zahra Shahiazar Mazraeh

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In recent years, the use of intelligent systems in biomedical engineering has increased dramatically, especially in the diagnosis of various diseases. Also, due to the relatively simple recording of the electrocardiogram signal (ECG), this signal is a good tool to show the function of the heart and diseases associated with it. The aim of this paper is to design an intelligent system for automatically detecting a normal electrocardiogram signal from abnormal one. Using this diagnostic system, it is possible to identify a person's heart condition in a very short time and with high accuracy. The data used in this article are from the Physionet database, available in 2016 for use by researchers to provide the best method for detecting normal signals from abnormalities. Data is of both genders and the data recording time varies between several seconds to several minutes. All data is also labeled normal or abnormal. Due to the low positional accuracy and ECG signal time limit and the similarity of the signal in some diseases with the normal signal, the heart rate variability (HRV) signal was used. Measuring and analyzing the heart rate variability with time to evaluate the activity of the heart and differentiating different types of heart failure from one another is of interest to the experts. In the preprocessing stage, after noise cancelation by the adaptive Kalman filter and extracting the R wave by the Pan and Tampkinz algorithm, R-R intervals were extracted and the HRV signal was generated. In the process of processing this paper, a new idea was presented that, in addition to using the statistical characteristics of the signal to create a return map and extraction of nonlinear characteristics of the HRV signal due to the nonlinear nature of the signal. Finally, the artificial neural networks widely used in the field of ECG signal processing as well as distinctive features were used to classify the normal signals from abnormal ones. To evaluate the efficiency of proposed classifiers in this paper, the area under curve ROC was used. The results of the simulation in the MATLAB environment showed that the AUC of the MLP and SVM neural network was 0.893 and 0.947, respectively. As well as, the results of the proposed algorithm in this paper indicated that the more use of nonlinear characteristics in normal signal classification of the patient showed better performance. Today, research is aimed at quantitatively analyzing the linear and non-linear or descriptive and random nature of the heart rate variability signal, because it has been shown that the amount of these properties can be used to indicate the health status of the individual's heart. The study of nonlinear behavior and dynamics of the heart's neural control system in the short and long-term provides new information on how the cardiovascular system functions, and has led to the development of research in this field. Given that the ECG signal contains important information and is one of the common tools used by physicians to diagnose heart disease, but due to the limited accuracy of time and the fact that some information about this signal is hidden from the viewpoint of physicians, the design of the intelligent system proposed in this paper can help physicians with greater speed and accuracy in the diagnosis of normal and patient individuals and can be used as a complementary system in the treatment centers.

Keywords: neart rate variability, signal processing, linear and non-linear features, classification methods, ROC Curve

Procedia PDF Downloads 241

Authors: Ana Carolina Kogawa, Selma Gutierrez Antonio, Hérida Regina Nunes Salgado

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Rifaximin is an oral antimicrobial, gut - selective and not systemic with adverse effects compared to placebo. It is used for the treatment of hepatic encephalopathy, travelers diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, Clostridium difficile, ulcerative colitis and acute diarrhea. The crystalline form present in the rifaximin with minimal systemic absorption is α, being the amorphous form significantly different. Regulators are increasingly attention to polymorphisms. Polymorphs can change the form by altering the drug characteristics compromising the effectiveness and safety of the finished product. International Conference on Harmonization issued the ICH Guidance Q6A, which aim to improve the control of polymorphism in new and existing pharmaceuticals. The objective of this study was to obtain polymorphic forms of rifaximin employing recrystallization processes and characterize them by thermal analysis (thermogravimetry - TG and differential scanning calorimetry - DSC), X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and solubility test. Six polymorphic forms of rifaximin, designated I to VI were obtained by the crystallization process by evaporation of the solvent. The profiles of the TG curves obtained from polymorphic forms of rifaximin are similar to rifaximin and each other, however, the DTG are different, indicating different thermal behaviors. Melting temperature values of all the polymorphic forms were greater to that shown by the rifaximin, indicating the higher thermal stability of the obtained forms. The comparison of the diffractograms of the polymorphic forms of rifaximin with rifaximin α, β and γ constant in patent indicate that forms III, V and VI are formed by mixing polymorph β and α and form III is formed by polymorph β. The polymorphic form I is formed by polymorph β, but with a significant amount of amorphous material. Already, the polymorphic form II consists of polymorph γ, amorphous. In scanning electron microscope is possible to observe the heterogeneity of morphological characteristics of crystals of polymorphic forms among themselves and with rifaximin. The solubility of forms I and II was greater than the solubility of rifaximin, already, forms III, IV and V presented lower solubility than of rifaximin. Similarly, the bioavailability of the amorphous form of rifaximin is considered significantly higher than the form α, the polymorphic forms obtained in this work can not guarantee the excellent tolerability of the reference medicine. Therefore, studies like these are extremely important and they point to the need for greater requirements by the regulatory agencies competent about polymorphs analysis of the raw materials used in the manufacture of medicines marketed globally. These analyzes are not required in the majority of official compendia. Partnerships between industries, research centers and universities would be a viable way to consolidate researches in this area and contribute to improving the quality of solid drugs.

Keywords: electronic microscopy, polymorphism, rifaximin, solubility, X-ray diffraction

Procedia PDF Downloads 640

Authors: Mehari Teshome, Lara Agostini, Anna Nosella

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The current knowledge-based economy extends intellectual property rights (IPRs) legal research themes into a more strategic and organizational perspectives. From the diverse types of IPRs, patents are the strongest and well-known form of legal protection that influences commercial success and market value. Indeed, from our pilot survey, we understood that firms are less likely to manage their patents and actively used it as a tool for achieving competitive advantage rather they invest resource and efforts for patent application. To this regard, the literature also confirms that insights into how firms manage their patents from a holistic, strategic perspective, and how the portfolio value of patents can be optimized are scarce. Though patent management is an important business tool and there exist few scales to measure some dimensions of patent management, at the best of our knowledge, no systematic attempt has been made to develop a valid and comprehensive measure of it. Considering this theoretical and practical point of view, the aim of this article is twofold: to develop a framework for patent management encompassing all relevant dimensions with their respective constructs and measurement items, and to validate the measurement using survey data from practitioners. Methodology: We used six-step methodological approach (i.e., specify the domain of construct, item generation, scale purification, internal consistency assessment, scale validation, and replication). Accordingly, we carried out a systematic review of 182 articles on patent management, from ISI Web of Science. For each article, we mapped relevant constructs, their definition, and associated features, as well as items used to measure these constructs, when provided. This theoretical analysis was complemented by interviews with experts in patent management to get feedbacks that are more practical on how patent management is carried out in firms. Afterwards, we carried out a questionnaire survey to purify our scales and statistical validation. Findings: The analysis allowed us to design a framework for patent management, identifying its core dimensions (i.e., generation, portfolio-management, exploitation and enforcement, intelligence) and support dimensions (i.e., strategy and organization). Moreover, we identified the relevant activities for each dimension, as well as the most suitable items to measure them. For example, the core dimension generation includes constructs as: state-of-the-art analysis, freedom-to-operate analysis, patent watching, securing freedom-to-operate, patent potential and patent-geographical-scope. Originality and the Study Contribution: This study represents a first step towards the development of sound scales to measure patent management with an overarching approach, thus laying the basis for developing a recognized landmark within the research area of patent management. Practical Implications: The new scale can be used to assess the level of sophistication of the patent management of a company and compare it with other firms in the industry to evaluate their ability to manage the different activities involved in patent management. In addition, the framework resulting from this analysis can be used as a guide that supports managers to improve patent management in firms.

Keywords: patent, management, scale, development, intellectual property rights (IPRs)

Procedia PDF Downloads 127

Authors: Erol Bayraktarov, Asya Ilgun, Thomas Schickl, Alexandre Campo, Nicolis Stamatios

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Traditional means of harvesting honey are often stressful for honeybees. Each time honey is collected a portion of the colony can die. In consequence, the colonies’ resilience to environmental stressors will decrease and this ultimately contributes to the global problem of honeybee colony losses. As part of the project HIVEOPOLIS, we design and build a different kind of beehive, incorporating technology to reduce negative impacts of beekeeping procedures, including honey harvesting. A first step in maintaining more sustainable honey harvesting practices is to design honey storage frames that can automate the honey collection procedures. This way, beekeepers save time, money, and labor by not having to open the hive and remove frames, and the honeybees' nest stays undisturbed.This system shows promising features, e.g., high reliability which could be a key advantage compared to current honey harvesting technologies.Our original concept of fractional honey harvesting has been to encourage the removal of honey only from "safe" locations and at levels that would leave the bees enough high-nutritional-value honey. In this abstract, we describe the current state of our honey harvester, its technology and areas to improve. The honey harvester works by separating the honeycomb cells away from the comb foundation; the movement and the elastic nature of honey supports this functionality. The honey sticks to the foundation, because of the surface tension forces amplified by the geometry. In the future, by monitoring the weight and therefore the capped honey cells on our honey harvester frames, we will be able to remove honey as soon as the weight measuring system reports that the comb is ready for harvesting. Higher viscosity honey or crystalized honey cause challenges in temperate locations when a smooth flow of honey is required. We use resistive heaters to soften the propolis and wax to unglue the moving parts during extraction. These heaters can also melt the honey slightly to the needed flow state. Precise control of these heaters allows us to operate the device for several purposes. We use ‘Nitinol’ springs that are activated by heat as an actuation method. Unlike conventional stepper or servo motors, which we also evaluated throughout development, the springs and heaters take up less space and reduce the overall system complexity. Honeybee acceptance was unknown until we actually inserted a device inside a hive. We not only observed bees walking on the artificial comb but also building wax, filling gaps with propolis and storing honey. This also shows that bees don’t mind living in spaces and hives built from 3D printed materials. We do not have data yet to prove that the plastic materials do not affect the chemical composition of the honey. We succeeded in automatically extracting stored honey from the device, demonstrating a useful extraction flow and overall effective operation this way.

Keywords: honey harvesting, honeybee, hiveopolis, nitinol

Procedia PDF Downloads 93

Authors: S. Mamoucha, J. Rahul, N. Christodoulakis

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Introduction: Nature has been the source of medicinal agents since the dawn of the human existence on Earth. Currently, millions of people, in the developing world, rely on medicinal plants for primary health care, income generation and lifespan improvement. In Greece, more than 5500 plant taxa are reported while about 250 of them are considered to be of great pharmaceutical importance. Among the plants used for medical purposes, Vitex agnus-castus L. (Verbenaceae) is known since ancient times. It is a small tree or shrub, widely distributed in the Mediterranean basin up to the Central Asia. It is also known as chaste tree or monks pepper. Theophrastus mentioned the shrub several times, as ‘agnos’ in his ‘Enquiry into Plants’. Dioscorides mentioned the use of V. agnus-castus for the stimulation of lactation in nursing mothers and the treatment of several female disorders. The plant has important medicinal properties and a long tradition in folk medicine as an antimicrobial, diuretic, digestive and insecticidal agent. Materials and methods: Leaves were cleaned, detached, fixed, sectioned and investigated with light and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Histochemical tests were executed as well. Specific histochemical reagents (osmium tetroxide, H2SO4, vanillin/HCl, antimony trichloride, Wagner’ s reagent, Dittmar’ s reagent, potassium bichromate, nitroso reaction, ferric chloride and di methoxy benzaldehyde) were used for the sub cellular localization of secondary metabolites. Results: Light microscopical investigations of the elongated leaves of V. agnus-castus revealed three layers of palisade parenchyma, just below the single layered adaxial epidermis. The spongy parenchyma is rather loose. Adaxial epidermal cells are larger in magnitude, compared to those of the abaxial epidermis. Four different types of capitate, secreting trichomes, were localized among the abaxial epidermal cells. Stomata were observed at the abaxial epidermis as well. SEM revealed the interesting arrangement of trichomes. Histochemical treatment on fresh and plastic embedded tissue sections revealed the nature and the sites of secondary metabolites accumulation (flavonoids, steroids, terpenes). Acknowledgment: This work was supported by IKY - State Scholarship Foundation, Athens, Greece.

Keywords: Vitex agnus-castus, leaf anatomy, histochemical reagents, secondary metabolites

Procedia PDF Downloads 363

Authors: Alexandra Shipley

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Background: Undergraduate paediatric teaching must overcome two major challenges: 1) balancing patient safety with active student engagement and 2) exposing students to a comprehensive range of pathologies within a relatively short clinical placement. Whilst lectures and shadowing on paediatric wards constitute the mainstay of learning, Simulation and Virtual Reality (VR) are emerging as effective teaching tools, which - immune to the unpredictability and seasonal variation of hospital presentations - could expose students to the entire syllabus more reliably, efficiently, and independently. We aim to evaluate the potential utility of Simulation and VR in addressing gaps within the traditional paediatric curriculum from the perspective of medical students. Summary of Work: Exposure to and perceived utility of various learning opportunities within the Paediatric and Emergency Medicine courses were assessed through a questionnaire completed by 5th year medical students (n=23). Summary of Results: Students reported limited exposure to several common acute paediatric presentations, such as bronchiolitis (41%), croup (32%) or pneumonia (14%), and to clinical emergencies, including cardiac/respiratory arrests or trauma calls (27%). Across all conditions, average self-reported confidence in assessment and management to the level expected of an FY1 is greater amongst those who observed at least one case (e.g. 7.6/10 compared with 3.6/10 for croup). Students rated exposure through Simulation or VR to be of similar utility to witnessing a clinical scenario on the ward. In free text responses, students unanimously favoured being ‘challenged’ through ‘hands-on’ patient interaction over passive shadowing, where it is ‘easy to zone out.’ In recognition of the fact that such independence is only appropriate in certain clinical situations, many students reported wanting more Simulation and VR teaching. Importantly, students raised the necessity of ‘proper debriefs’ after these sessions to maximise educational value. Discussion and Conclusion: Our questionnaire elicited several student-perceived challenges in paediatric education, including incomplete exposure to common pathologies and limited opportunities for active involvement in patient care. Indeed, these experiences seem to be important predictors of confidence. Quantitative and qualitative feedback suggests that VR and Simulation satisfy students’ self-reported appetite for independent engagement with authentic clinical scenarios. Take-aways: Our findings endorse further development of VR and Simulation as high-yield adjuncts to paediatric education.

Keywords: paediatric emergency education, simulation, virtual reality, medical education

Procedia PDF Downloads 58

Authors: Chidiebere Joy Nwankwo, Benjamin S. C. Uzochukwu, Florence T. Sibeudu

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Background: Family planning is one of the most cost-effective ways to prevent maternal, infant, and child mortality. It can decrease maternal mortality by reducing the number of unintended pregnancies, the number of abortions, and the proportion of births at high risk. It has been seen to improve the health and economic well-being of families and communities and ensures women’s planned childbearing in order to achieve education and career goals which could raise family income thereby reducing poverty. The choice and use of a particular family planning method and their sources vary globally. Rural Communities often face significant challenges in accessing and utilizing family planning services. Aim: This study set out to assess Access and Utilization of Family Planning Services among Women of Reproductive Age in a Rural Community of Enugu state, Nigeria. Rural communities were chosen for this study because past demographic surveys have shown that women in urban areas are more likely to accept and practice family planning compared to those in rural areas. Method: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Research design was employed to achieve the aim and objectives of the study. Data collected from 177 consenting participants using interviewer-administered questionnaires was analysed using Descriptive statistics to summarize the Socio-demographic characteristics of the participants and Access and Utilization of Family Planning Services among the participants including Reasons for using different Family Planning Methods and Barriers encountered in Access and Utilization of these services. A Cross-tabulation between Socio-demographic Characteristics of respondents and the use of Family Planning services was carried out. Result: The findings of this study revealed that majority of the participants (72.9%) have not utilized any family planning service. Out of those (27.1%) that have used any family planning service, majority of them are still currently using a form of family planning service and have access to them in health facilities, patent medicine vendors and others based on multiple responses. Male condoms were the most utilized modern family planning service. Based on multiple responses, inaccessibility, personal beliefs and partner’s objection were the most identified barriers encountered in accessing family planning services. Conclusion: Access and uptake of family planning services in rural communities is lower than the national average. Increasing access to family planning is an urgent priority for rural areas Interventions that will scale up Access and Utilization of family planning services in rural communities should be intensified.

Keywords: access, family planning, rural community, utilization

Procedia PDF Downloads 26

Authors: Doaa H. Elgohary, Tamer F. Khalifa, Mona M. Salem, M. A. Saad, Ehab Haider Sherazy

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Textiles have conquered new areas over the past three decades, including agriculture, transportation, filtration, military, and medicine. The use of textiles in the medical field has increased significantly in recent years and covers almost everything. Medical textiles represent a huge market as they are widely used not only in hospitals, hygiene, and healthcare but also in hotels and other environments where hygiene is required. However, not all fibers are suitable for the manufacture of medical textile products. Some special properties are required for the manufactured materials, e.g. Strength, elasticity, spinnability, etc. In addition to the usual properties of medical fibers, non-toxicity, sterilizability, biocompatibility, biodegradability, good absorbability, softness, and freedom from additives, etc., desirable properties include impurities. Stitching is one of the most common practices in the medical field. as it is a biomaterial device, either natural or synthetic, used to connect blood vessels and connect tissues. In addition to being very strong, suture material should easily dissolve in bodily fluids and lose strength as the tissue gains strength. In this work, a study to select the most used materials for sutures, it was found that silk, VICRYL and polypropylene were the most used materials in varying numbers. The research involved the analysis of 36 samples from three different materials (mostly commonly used), the tests were carried out on 36 imported samples for four different companies. Each company supplied three different materials (silk, VICRYL and polypropylene) with three different gauges (4, 3.5 and 3 metric). The results of the study were tabulated, presented, and discussed. Practical statistical science serves to support the practical analysis of experimental work products and the various relationships between variables to achieve the best sampling performance with the functional purpose generated for it. Analysis of the imported sutures shows that VICRYL sutures had the highest tensile strength, toughness, knot tensile strength and knot toughness, followed by polypropylene and silk. As yarn counts, weight and diameter increase, its tensile strength and toughness increase while its elongation and knot tension decrease. The multifilament yarn construction (silk and VICRYL) scores higher compared to the monofilament construction (polypropylene), resulting in increases in tenacity, toughness, knot tensile strength and knot toughness.

Keywords: biodegradable yarns, braided sutures, irritation, knot tying, medical textiles, surgical sutures, wound healing

Procedia PDF Downloads 46

Authors: Ibrahim M Hassan, Lorna Que, Michael Rutland

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Type I SOD is usually diagnosed by anatomical imaging such as ultrasound, CT and MRCP. However, the types II and III SOD yield negative results despite the presence of significant symptoms. In particular, the type III is difficult to diagnose due to the absence of significant biochemical or anatomical abnormalities. Nuclear Medicine can aid in this diagnostic dilemma by demonstrating functional changes in the bile flow. Low dose Morphine (0.04mg/Kg) stimulates the tone of the sphincter of Oddi (SO) and its usefulness has been shown in diagnosing SOD by causing a delay in bile flow when compared to a non morphine provoked - baseline scan. This work expands on that process by using sublingual GTN at 60 minutes post tracer and morphine injection to relax the SO and induce an improvement in bile outflow, and in some cases show immediate relief of morphine induced abdominal pain. The criteria for positive SOD are as follows: if during the first hour of the morphine provocation showed (1) delayed intrahepatic biliary ducts tracer accumulation; plus (2) delayed appearance but persistent retention of activity in the common bile duct, and (3) delayed bile flow into the duodenum. In addition, patients who required GTN within the first hour to relieve abdominal pain were regarded as highly supportive of the diagnosis. Retrospective analysis of 85 patients (pts) (78F and 6M) referred for suspected SOD (type III) who had been intensively investigated because of recurrent right upper quadrant or abdominal pain post cholecystectomy. 99mTc-HIDA scan with morphine-provocation is performed followed by GTN at 60 minutes post tracer injection and a further thirty minutes of dynamic imaging are acquired. 30 pts were negative. 55 pts were regarded as positive for SOD and 38/55 (60%) of these patients with an abnormal result were further evaluated with a baseline 99mTc-HIDA. As expected, all 38 pts showed better bile flow characteristics than during the morphine provocation. 20/55 (36%) patients were treated by ERCP sphincterotomy and the rest were managed conservatively by medical therapy. In all cases regarded as positive for SOD, the sublingual GTN at 60 minutes showed immediate improvement in bile flow. 11/55(20%) who developed severe post-morphine abdominal pain were relieved by GTN almost instantaneously. We propose that GTN is a useful agent in the diagnosis of SOD when performing 99mTc-HIDA scan and that the satisfactory response to the sublingual GTN could offer additional information in patients who have severe pain at the time the procedure or when presenting to the emergency unit because of biliary pain. And also in determining whether a trial of medical therapy may be used before considering surgery.

Keywords: GTN, HIDA, MORPHINE, SOD

Procedia PDF Downloads 287

Authors: Mathula Thangarajh

Abstract:

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a severe form of X-linked muscular dystrophy caused by mutations in the dystrophin gene resulting in progressive skeletal muscle weakness. Boys with DMD also have significant cognitive disabilities. The intelligence quotient of boys with DMD, compared to peers, is approximately one standard deviation below average. Detailed neuropsychological testing has demonstrated that boys with DMD have a global developmental impairment, with verbal memory and visuospatial skills most significantly affected. Furthermore, the total brain volume and gray matter volume are lower in children with DMD compared to age-matched controls. These results are suggestive of a significant structural and functional compromise to the developing brain as a result of absent dystrophin protein expression. There is also some genetic evidence to suggest that mutations in the 3’ end of the DMD gene are associated with more severe neurocognitive problems. Our working hypothesis is that (i) boys with DMD do not make gains in neurodevelopmental skills compared to typically developing children and (ii) women carriers of DMD mutations may have subclinical cognitive deficits. We also hypothesize that there may be an intergenerational vulnerability of cognition, with boys of DMD-carrier mothers being more affected cognitively than boys of non-DMD-carrier mothers. The objectives of this study are: 1. Assess the neurodevelopment in boys with DMD at 4-time points and perform baseline neuroradiological assessment, 2. Assess cognition in biological mothers of DMD participants at baseline, 3. Assess possible correlation between DMD mutation and cognitive measures. This study also explores functional brain abnormalities in people with DMD by exploring how regional and global connectivity of the brain underlies executive function deficits in DMD. Such research can contribute to a better holistic understanding of the cognition alterations due to DMD and could potentially allow clinicians to create better-tailored treatment plans for the DMD population. There are four study visits for each participant (baseline, 2-4 weeks, 1 year, 18 months). At each visit, the participant completes the NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery, a validated psychometric measure that is recommended by NIH Common Data Elements for use in DMD. Visits 1, 3, and 4 also involve the administration of the BRIEF-2, ABAS-3, PROMIS/NeuroQoL, PedsQL Neuromuscular module 3.0, Draw a Clock Test, and an optional fMRI scan with the N-back matching task. We expect to enroll 52 children with DMD, 52 mothers of children with DMD, and 30 healthy control boys. This study began in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to this, there were subsequent delays in recruitment because of travel restrictions. However, we have persevered and continued to recruit new participants for the study. We partnered with the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) and helped advertise the study to interested families. Since then, we have had families from across the country contact us about their interest in the study. We plan to continue to enroll a diverse population of DMD participants to contribute toward a better understanding of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Keywords: neurology, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, muscular dystrophy, cognition, neurodevelopment, x-linked disorder, DMD, DMD gene

Procedia PDF Downloads 86

Authors: Ya-Chu May Tsai, Ibrahim Yacoub, Eoin Casey

Abstract:

The Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA) advises that smoking should not be permitted within 12 hours of surgery. There is little information in the medical literature regarding patients awareness of perioperative smoking cessation recommendations nor their appreciation of how smoking might negatively impact their perioperative course. The aim of the study is to assess the prevalence of current smokers presenting to Werribee Mercy Hospital (WMH) and to evaluate if pre-operative provision of both written and verbal pre-operative advice was, 1: Effective in improving patient awareness of the benefits of pre-operative smoking cessation, 2: Associated with an increase in the number of elective surgical patients who stop smoking at least 12 hours pre-operatively. Methods: The initial survey included all patients who presented to WMH for elective surgical procedures from 19 – 30 September 2016 using a standardized questionnaire focused on patients’ smoking history and their awareness of smoking cessation preoperatively. The intervention consisted of a standard pre-operative phone call to all patients advising them of the increased perioperative risks associated with smoking, and advised patients to cease 12 hours prior. In addition, written information on smoking cessation strategies were sent out in mail at least 1 week prior to planned procedure date to all patients. Questionnaire-based study after the intervention was conducted on day of elective procedure from 10 – 21 October 2016 inclusive. Primary outcomes measured were patient’s awareness of smoking cessation and proportion of smokers who quit >12 hours, considered a clinically meaning duration to reduce anaesthetics complications. Comparison of pre and post intervention results were made using SPSS 21.0. Results: In the pre-intervention group (n=156), 36 (22.4%) patients were current smokers, 46 were ex-smokers (29.5%) and 74 were non-smokers (48.1%). Of the smokers, 12 (33%) reported having been informed of smoking cessation prior to operation and 8 (22%) were aware of increased intra- and perioperative adverse events associated with smoking. In the post-intervention group n= 177, 38 (21.5%) patients were current smokers, 39 were ex-smokers (22.0%) and 100 were non-smokers (56.5%). Of the smokers, 32 (88.9%) reported having been informed of smoking cessation prior to operation and 35 (97.2%) reported being aware of increased intra- and perioperative adverse events associated with smoking. The median time since last smoke in the pre-intervention group was 5.5 hours (Q1-Q3 = 2-14) compared with 13 hours (Q1-Q3 = 5-24) in post intervention group. Amongst the smokers, smoking cessation at least 12 hours prior to surgery significantly increased from 27.8% pre-intervention to 52.6% post intervention (P=0.03). Conclusion: A standard preoperative phone call and written instruction on smoking cessation guidelines at time of waitlist placement increase preoperative smoking cessation rates by almost 2-fold.

Keywords: anaesthesia, audit, perioperative medicine, smoking cessation

Procedia PDF Downloads 287

Authors: Alaaeddeen M. Seufi

Abstract:

Many have been published on therapeutic derivatives from living organisms including insects. In addition to traditional maggot therapy, more than 900 therapeutic products were isolated from insects. Most people look at insects as enemies and others believe that insects are friends. Many beneficial insects rather than Honey Bees, Silk Worms and Shellac insect could insure human-insect friendship. In addition, insects could be MicroFactories, Biosensors or Bioreactors. InsectFarm is an amazing example of the applied research that transfers insects from laboratory to market by Prof Mircea Ciuhrii and co-workers. They worked for 18 years to derive therapeutics from insects. Their research resulted in production of more than 30 commercial medications derived from insects (e.g. Imunomax, Noblesse, etc.). Two general approaches were followed to discover drugs from living organisms. Some laboratories preferred biochemical approach to purify components of the innate immune system of insects and insect metabolites as well. Then the purified components could be tested for many therapeutic trials. Other researchers preferred molecular approach based on proteomic studies. Components of the innate immune system of insects were then tested for their medical activities. Our Laboratory team preferred to induce insect immune system (using oral, topical and injection routes of administration), then a transcriptomic study was done to discover the induced genes and to identify specific biomarkers that can help in drug discovery. Biomarkers play an important role in medicine and in drug discovery and development as well. Optimum biomarker development and application will require a team approach because of the multifaceted nature of biomarker selection, validation, and application. This team uses several techniques such as pharmacoepidemiology, pharmacogenomics, and functional proteomics; bioanalytical development and validation; modeling and simulation to improve and refine drug development. Our Achievements included the discovery of four components of the innate immune system of Spodoptera littoralis and Musca domestica. These components were designated as SpliDef (defesin), SpliLec (lectin), SpliCec (cecropin) and MdAtt (attacin). SpliDef, SpliLec and MdAtt were confirmed as antimicrobial peptides, while SpliCec was additionally confirmed as anticancer peptide. Our current research is going on to achieve something in antioxidants and anticoagulants from insects. Our perspective is to achieve something in the mass production of prototypes of our products and to reach it to the commercial level. These achievements are the integrated contributions of everybody in our team staff.

Keywords: AMPs, insect, innate immunitty, therappeutics

Procedia PDF Downloads 359